History in the Making

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CBMA Launches at OSF

Campaign for Black Male Achievement launches at the Open Society Foundations with the mission to address the exclusion of Black men and boys from the economic and political mainstream in the United States.

Barack Obama Elected

Barack Obama elected first African American President of the United States

(Photo Credit: Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

Momentum: Sustaining Efforts to Improve Life Outcomes Among African-American Males

America Appoints First Black Attorney General

Barack Obama Inaugurated as President

On January 20th, 2009, Barack H. Obama is officially sworn-in as the 44th President of the United States.

First Black Male Reimagined Convening

CBMA and partners host the first “Black Male Reimagined” conference, encouraging influencers in the media and entertainment industries to help transform how Black men are portrayed in popular culture and public discourse

The State of Black Male Commissions

Frontline Solutions and the Twenty-First Century Foundation publish The State of Black Male Commissions: A Survey to document the work of Black male commissions nationally.

Black Male Achievement Fellowship at Echoing Green

The Open Society Foundations and Echoing Green launch the Black Male Achievement Fellowship for social entrepreneurs dedicated to improving the life outcomes of Black men and boys

(Photo credit: Frontline Solutions)

Cities United Launches

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu launch Cities United to eliminate violence-related deaths of Black males, in partnership with Open Society Foundations, Casey Family Programs and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

(Photo Credit: Charles Hallman/MSR News)

NYC Young Men’s Initiative Established

Open Society Foundations and Bloomberg Philanthropies commit $30 million each to helping young Black and Latino men through New York City’s Young Men’s Initiative

(Photo Credit: Young Men’s Initiative)

Inaugural Rumble Young Man Rumble

CBMA holds the first Rumble Young Man, Rumble convening in Louisville, Kentucky to engage Black Male Achievement leaders in sharing promising practices and create collaborations with young Black men in communities across the country.

Killing of Trayvon Martin

The shooting death of unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin captures national attention and ignites debate on racial profiling and “Stand Your Ground” laws

Inaugural Black Male Achievement Innovation & Impact Forum

Launch of the Leadership and Sustainability Institute

Open Society Foundations, in partnership with Root Cause and PolicyLink, launches the Leadership and Sustainability Institute, a national network ensuring the growth, sustainability and impact of leaders and organizations working to improve life outcomes and create systemic change for Black men and boys

Institute for Black Male Achievement

The Leadership and Sustainability Institute is rebranded as the Institute for Black Male Achievement

A Gathering of Leaders

“A Gathering of Leaders 2013" convenes 200 social change leaders working to improve opportunities for boys and men of color”

BMAFunders.org Launches

Open Society Foundations and Foundation Center launch BMAFunders.org to track philanthropic support targeted at Black men and boys, and to serve as a resource to funders, nonprofits, policymakers and others interested in investing in BMA work

First Quantifying Hope Report Released

CBMA Spin-Off

On MLK Day 2015, the Institute for Black Male Achievement spins off from the Open Society Foundations to become an independent entity, rebranding itself as the Campaign for Black Male Achievement (CBMA)

New Quantifying Hope Report Issued

Health and Healing Strategies

CBMA launches the Health and Healing Strategies initiative to equip Black Male Achievement leaders with tools and resources to facilitate and sustain their own health and well-being, and that of the Black males and broader communities that they serve.

CBMA Honors Dr. King at MLK Now 2016

CBMA co-hosts the first “MLK Now” event at Riverside Church on MLK Day in New York City, in partnership with Blackout for Human Rights. The event featured influencers and performers included Ryan Coogler, Chris Rock, Harry Belafonte, Octavia Spencer, Michael B. Jordan, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tessa Thompson, India.Arie, Saul Williams, and more.

Black Male Re-Imagined III at the Kennedy Center

CBMA hosts the third “Black Male Re-Imagined” event at the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. to to affirm accurate portrayals of Black people in the mainstream media, in partnership with the Perception Institute.

CBMA Launches New Emerging Leaders Fellowship

CBMA selects emerging BMA leaders for the inaugural Building Beloved Community Leadership Fellowship (now known as the American Express Leadership Academy at CBMA) to help ensure individual effectiveness and impact in organizational leadership within the broader field of Black Male Achievement.